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Earlier this year the largest piano dealer in Belgium set up a tour in railway stations and shopping malls showing his home brand pianos equiped with a self player system.

I wonder how successful an action this was?

As the article in the Washington Post dates from 2007 they perhaps should have read it before setting up this promotion campaign?

Doutreligne, Railway

schwammerl.

On Wednesday our 3 year old got to wear her Halloween costume to preschool. Along with all her class mates she got a little bag of treasures from her teacher that day. As I was picking her up another kid was eagerly trying to show his mother what he had gotten.

"Mommy! look what I got today..."

"Hurry up and get in the car, I'm late for work!"

His mother was in too much of a hurry to take two minutes to share in his big excitement for the day.

I think Birchy nailed it on what this article is about.

Dan

This made me think of myself going down to a subway station in Oslo, Norway. A violinist was playing at the entrance, accompanied by a tape recorder. I had to stop and listen for a while, he was really good. When I reached my destination, I told my hostess about the wonderful street musician. Oh, she said, he plays with the Oslo Philharmonic, and then he sometimes does this for fun, just to see if someone stops to listen. I am afraid I was the only one who stopped at that moment.
Once, while vacationing in Paris, my sister and I came down the stairs to the Roosevelt Metro station, and from somewhere came the sound of a guitar. The artist was playing the theme from "Jeux Interdits", and we tracked him down and listened to the whole piece while our train left without us. But, there is always another train, and beautiful music in the train station is limited.

What? Did he get a world class violinist in his bag? I don't get it. How would he fit?

But seriously, I agree with those that can see the perspective of the 'experiment' being somewhat flawed. Put that person in a different setting, perhaps a park, and see how many adults as opposed to kids will stop and listen. Location and timing both need to be considered.

If there is something uplifting in the story it is how great street musicians have become seemingly everywhere.

When back in Germany I can't believe the Russion accordeon virtuosos, the American travelling kid putting
Nashville to shame or the violin students from the local conservatory dressed in high class suits.

Music can be ignored or appreciated - but it can't be stomped out.

Norbert

I was thinking similar thoughts. I spent half the summer in Spain and Portugal. No, I wasn't busking, but might have made more money it I had been. Whether it was the Ramblas in Barcelona or the Castelo Sao Jorge in Lisboa, buskers of all sorts were surrounded by appreciative audiences. Granted, lots of the audience were tourists, but far from everyone.

I think in the US lots of folks view buskers the same way they view panhandlers...."Why don't they get real jobs and chase their tails like everyone else?"

You have to factor in the immediacy of the music's appeal as well. Most people want something light, easy and accessible. If I stand on a street corner in Vienna shrieking Das Klagende Lied, I might not draw a crowd.

I love the surprise of hearing a street musician when I am in a hassled hurried time. It brings a smile to my face. I do stop a moment and listen. Always nod and mouth 'thank you'.

It's kind of like enjoying the 'daylily' in that each flower only shows its beauty for the day. Must take time to enjoy it.




Lilylady

Perhaps that's the reason many European cities including some Canadian ones like Vancouver, now have an annual and officially sponsored "Street Festivals"

Great fun - amazing performers!

http://www.einapplaus.de/strassenfeste_is120_e_1.html

In Europe they have become the best next thing to local beer and wine festivals attracting big crowds from everywhere.

What's better fun than "free" fun anyways?

And the food....

Norbert

You got that right. There's this one guy who plays the saxophone in my favorite park. He's an older guy who probably doesn't need the money (at least I hope not) but he annoys the heck out of me.

I go there for some peace and quiet. Then comes the sound of the trashcanophone. Hate that instrument. Sounds like someone blowing through a trash can. I often think if I offer him $20 will he go away. Please, go away.

Shame on you....

Norbert

There's a really thoughtful presentation of buskers and passersby in Tom McCarthy's movie "The Visitor". It also has a couple of priceless scenes relating to piano teachers and adult beginners.

My take on Bell in the subway is how profoundly we are influenced by our surroundings -- how hard it is to recognize greatness if it is set in an ordinary environment; so the lesson is to keep our senses open daily to the extraordinary in life, even while we're in the midst of ordinary routine... let's stay truly awake every day.

This account of Josh Bell's busking comes from a long article by Gene Weingarten in the Washington Post. He won the Pulitzer Prize for it last year. The full article is worth reading.

I did some jazz gigs in Paris France about 10 years ago and one of the gigs we did was a 45 minute set in a subway station at 9 am. We weren't particularly good at that point (barely out of college) yet before we knew it there was a very enthusiastic crowd of 40-50 people listening intently. ( and most certainly becoming late for whatever they were on their way to) A very different attitude toward 'stopping and smelling the roses over there' Maybe that's why alot of Parisiennes who are 70 years old look a heck of a lot like 50 year old north Americans.

Yeah, it is different for sure! Parisians especially love their jazz and take it seriously!

I have a jazz player friend from Buenos Aires who got stiffed on the second half of payment for a gig in Zürich. He didn't play the underground. He slept there for two nights and busked in a public park during the day to get some travel money.

Probably a lot of people who have the lazy bum perception of buskers do not realize how difficult it can be at times for very good musicians who don't have the right connections.

Absolutely correct.

This is the fate of a great deal of musicians I know including a few who decided to become piano retailers...

Norbert